Freaking Waffles of a place
That a student’s ability is measured
Through a mention of its name
By a mere whisky of its fame;

So what if we didn’t?
What is a student worth then?
More than a school name surely,
More than a great badge really;

By association we are no different:
We belong in the same league
Play by the same One Waffles street
Considered too the same Waffles breed;

What is the individual then?
What is the collective then?

I have no right to complain:
I graduated from there just the same;

But make no mistake:
We succeed by ourselves
Supported by a great place
To run ourselves our own race.

(Disclaimer: I love my school; I’ve always loved it. I did reasonably well and I had some of the best schooling years there. It’s a lovely place, and all other stereotypes are needless. I’m proud of the school, and someday the school shall be proud of me too. To transcend the school reputation and make good as an individual to live a life of kindness and purpose, that is what I believe to be the reason for the greatness of the school.)

This post is made up of sentences and excerpts from a blog that I know pretty well; thought it’d be a good idea to share some of the decent lines here. I’m probably splitting it up into a few parts because there are too many of them.

“A commonly visited leisure spot once upon a time has turned into a deserted playground of broken swings.”

“I’ll wait, til the day is mine.”

“There are days when you feel punched out, and today’s one of them.”

“It’s not a monologue.. it’s just a dialogue without response.”

“Behind every cynical person is a sad story unbeknownst to others.”

“Crack lines; try as you might to fix them, they’ll always be there somewhere.”

“The moment before I fall asleep is the happiest moment of the day; it is as though dreams have merged with reality. I feel alive and awake, but live a dream and a fantasy.”

“Accept and like a person not for what he is, but for who he is.”

“It’s like… after a person has made a wrong choice, you should let him choose again so that he is more clear about what he wants and will this time, make the right decision and appreciate the right decision so much more and never allow himself to decide or choose wrongly again.”

“There’s a reason why you should run after the bus, and not be lazy and convince yourself you won’t be able to catch it.”

I took another puff and exhaled. The smoke makes no difference to anything, it’s all a hazy blur. So what if I cough with each inhalation? It’s as though I am silently strangled and choking in this mist of restraint and confusion anyway.

I reach for the cup beside my bed, gave it a light swirl and downed whatever remained of it from the night before. It didn’t go down well, and caused a jerk as it slid uncomfortably through a dry and coarse throat from a puff too much of Marlboro. ‘Damn it’ I thought, as I stare into the shroud of uncertainty gathering in front of me, a sinister shade of the unknown.

I don’t like the idea of posting a lot of what I write, but it’s been getting addictive these days so here’s another. I think it would be nice if I can write for a living, so maybe that is something I can consider doing in time.

Here’s something to think about: is what we think best for ourselves really what is best for us?

We usually have a rough idea of what we want for ourselves in the things we do, and the things we seek to achieve when we set out on endeavours. We plan and chart our courses in such a way that we eventually get what we desire or think is good for ourselves, be it studying abroad, securing the next promotion, or proposing to our potential life partner. We think we know what we want and what is good for us, and we set out to achieve those things.

Inevitably we face challenges, obstacles, and hurdles along the way.. and we lose heart. We start questioning if what we are aiming for is achievable, and if what we seek is really what is ideal for us. Some of us find another route to the same destination, others change their destination altogether, and there’s a bunch who stick by the same path and continue on tirelessly.

We have a choice to be one of the three kinds of journeyman, and we probably have no one to check or justify with except ourselves. We only can know which is the best of the lot after reaching (or not reaching) our destination, if that is where we want to be at all.

So I say, have faith in what you do and who you are, and let the rest take care of themselves along the way. There is little to do otherwise.

As you’ve seen, I’ve decided to switch from “poetry”-styled posts to prose-styled posts to facilitate easier discussions of certain topics that require lengthy sentences and descriptions. I used to aspire to write only in “poetry” form on this platform, but it has gotten unsustainable lately, hence the switch over. (I will however still post one of those short ones every now and then just to make sure I stay true to my roots and that I don’t lose touch. Haha.)

The topic for tonight seems to be a heavy one (or light one, depending on how it goes and if you’re a light or heavy sleeper, haha) again, and yes it is about Dreams. I don’t mean the literal first definition of thoughts or sensations experienced in the mind during sleep; I mean the aspirations and goals we all have in life that we hope to achieve (whether they are within reach or not, is another thing). Contrary to popular belief, dreams are not for the young; dreams are for everyone bold enough to have the desire to want to achieve what they think will give themselves (and sometimes others) immense joy.

I think the one very important activity that pre-school and primary school teachers conduct is the sharing of children’s ambition(s) and dream(s). I think it is crucial that the child and the adults around him identify what the child sees as important to his life, and what he seeks to achieve in time to come. The first step towards realising any dream is to be able to know what the dream is, ideally exactly what it is, but if not a rough idea is at most times is good enough. It is also a good idea to write it down for future reference. Here’s why.

When we get caught up in the tiredness of everyday life and we lose focus and grip on our goals and objectives, we can take out that sketchy little paper from under piles of other things to remind ourselves what we used to aspire towards in our younger and more innocent days. A dream coming from a phase in life where we think all things possible, before society even started telling us otherwise.. I think that’s a valuable thing to hold onto when we face obstructions and obstacles later on in life. We need to be reminded of how simple things can be, beneath all the layers of what life or society heap upon us (and our dreams).

If you have a kite flying in the distance or a rainbow in the sky, do not be afraid to reach out for it. I’m not going to tell you about the practical concerns of life and how sometimes our dreams are not meant for realising in the face of everyday life; that we can leave to your naysayers who think otherwise. I’m just going to tell you to go for it. Just try, because you will never know how far you can go until you do. The rest, we leave to grit and how far life will allow you to go.

Have a good night, and let’s wake up tomorrow with a greater sense of purpose and a stronger will to achieve those dreams that lie waiting for us in the horizons.